MLB Betting – Marlins Have The Necessary Pieces To Succeed

by Dirty on June 2, 2012

Welcome to Miami where the heat is on. So are the Marlins, right now, in contention for the division lead, two months in to the regular season. They have a new name, new stadium, new logo, new manager, a ton of new faces, and with all of that the fans in Miami now have a new sense of optimism that it isn’t only their basketball team that will bring home some hardware this season. However, if the Marlins are going to have any chance at making the playoffs as National League East winners, they are going to need to make a few adjustments, particularly on offense where they have struggled to score runs all season. Miami has the players to be successful this season, but if it is going to deliver on its potential the offensive stars will need to match the sports betting production of a pitching staff that has been solid so far.

The Marlins actually lead the majors in quality starts through the first two months with 36, and that has had a positive impact on an entire staff that ranks eighth with a 3.60 ERA. Surprisingly, it is the ace Josh Johnson that has had the toughest time at 3-3, with a 4.83 ERA, the worst mark of Miami’s five starters. Both Anibal Sanchez and Carlos Zambrano have managed to get their ERA no higher than 3.00, and with Mark Buehrle exceeding expectations since being reunited with new manager Ozzie Guillen after their time together with the Chicago White Sox, the Marlins are in excellent shape with their pitching staff, with the bullpen benefiting from not being overexposed as a result of such a strong starting rotation.

If Miami is going to be a true online betting contender for a division title this season, the offense has to increase its production and provide the staff with more support. The Marlins rank 20th in both batting average and runs scored, but could see much better results overall if they can climb in to the top-15 in both of those categories. Even increasing their runs by capitalizing when they have men in scoring position would provide a boost, and there is no denying that Miami has capable hitters on the roster with Jose Reyes added in the offseason to a group that already includes Hanley Ramirez and Giancarlo Stanton. Omar Infante has been a major bright spot with a .317 average, but Stanton is the only hitter on the roster with at least 10 home runs (13), and the Marlins have to be better at consistently putting runs on the board.

As far as the best sportsbook online expectations are concerned, Guillen will acknowledge that his team has played well and appreciate being in contention for a division title. However at the same time, Guillen understands that his team has left wins on the table this season, and will need to do a better job of capitalizing on the chance to improve their record on nights where the starter has been solid but hasn’t gotten the needed run support. With Reyes, Stanton, Ramirez, and Infante among others, the Marlins have the pieces to be successful this season, it’s just a matter of putting those pieces together and capitalizing when the opportunity is there.